Alright, these folks caught the seasoned old wizards of RMR’s Best off guard. For about two seconds, the sinners of the review desk thought this was about the Death Metal doomsters of Noumena, the band without the I. Nice try, guys.
But no, here we deal with a much more modern quirk of the metal multiverse. The band is called Noumenia, and they’re looking for Echoes. A record that seems to emerge straight from ‘core country yet again. Not a direction we want to turn into too often. But this Band o’ Strange Sisters screamed themselves into a peculiar froth of rage. And that kept our ears piqued. Feel the heat!
I just said it. Echoes exudes 50 shades of fury, courtesy of one Vivian Nigro grinding herself through the tracklist. And that made the RMR crew scratch their mutual heads in unison because – nobody seems to have spotted this act until a few months ago. Put differently, we got ourselves a band flying in out of fucking nowhere. They allegedly started out as a not-very-lethal instrumental band in 2018. Then they decided to get physical with a female vocalist proficient in raspy growls and sporting a reasonably clear voice performance.
After some (very) lengthy deliberations, they finally unleashed Echoes, their debut album in 2025. Produced by Richard Meiz1, the wielder of sticks over at Lacuna Coil, with the mix and master applied by one Daniele Salomone, a live guitarist for the aforementioned outfit. Only, this band won’t show on the mighty interweb, apart for two singles that all aired in 2025. Plus, a frugal social media presence with all Facebook pages seemingly dating back to a few short months ago. So, the RMR crew is saddled with a bunch of underground ghosts from Northern Italy, who sound nothing like Lacuna Coil at all.
That said, Noumenia‘s first and newest concoction doesn’t lack zest and feisty power. Echoes hits you with a ferocious blend of Metalcore and some Deathcore. All of that abject loudness is infested with crazed electronica on steroids with an industrial tinge. Fueled by core operators on a runaway power module to make Aeons faint with envy. And somehow, they seem to navigate in the vicinity of bands such as Tyraels Ascension with a few of Aversed‘s impermanent vibes thrown in for sport. But it is the melodic injections that will pretty much save the day. Carpe Diem, you adepts of Coreland. One cannot survive on bone-dry riffs, scraped clean of any remnant of flesh that might have been attached one day.
In other words, Echoes suddenly switches gears and leads off with some groove-laden, fast-paced pseudo-rock tune (Outsider, for example). And you know what? This uneasy blend of synth-heavy pseudo-industrial power beatz à la Marilyn Manson and the ‘corish savage cruelty actually works. And that, when it actually shouldn’t. To add to the unease, Echoes suddenly starts to develop some groove in that toxic fray of unhinged elements. A trait of this record that saves its bacon a few times.
And once you think that the vocalist’s angry and raspy rap starts to scrape down your spine, the heavy chugs and freakish djents will start to get to you. And that will happen, as of Fractures or so. This band seems to think that the proficient yet grating axe-work, together with their idea that an incessant wardrum-style attack should be synonymous with making good use of their drum kit, is a jolly good idea. But, in a way, they got a point. Because, with all the other sources of gravelly noize on pertinent display, this will just add to that dystopian feeling of damnation dawning on you. A sentiment that won’t leave you to the bitter end.
Ultimately, Echoes is a fascinating record. Untamed, wild, and straight in yer face. Some may not want to call this metal, but this obscure and unknown band made a mighty splash over at the RMR office tower. An astonishing debut that rocked this here crew back on its haunches. Well done, and may we have more of that in the future.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Eclipse Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 27 June 2025
- Commonly called Riccardo Mazzini.-↩